( 6 reviews )
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Jan 20 2009
Four essays precede the plates: The Public Face of Renoir as a Landscapist by John House; `The Victory of Modern Art' Landscape Painting in Mid-Nineteenth-Century France by Simon Kelly; Renoir in the City by Christopher Riopelle; `The Greatest Luminosity, Colour and Harmony' Renoir's Landscapes 1862-1883 by Colin B Bailey. Included also is a Topographical Chronology, an appendix: Landscapes in the Salon, a bibliography and an index. Although "landscape" seems to be interpreted quite loosely to include cityscapes plus a few rather dubious inclusions which are little more the figure paintings (but who's complaining if it means more pictures) even so it is a surprise the number of landscapes Renoir produced. Even more so that they in now way play second fiddle to his more familiar figure paintings. The essays, which are well supported with notes, are fairly self explanatory. I found Ripolle's most interesting with its descriptions of the Paris in which Renoir grew up, along with the clearance of run-down districts to make way for the grand boulevards during this period. It helps one appreciate too that many of Renoir's renditions of Paris where of these newly constructed avenues. The catalogue commences on page 82 and occupies nearly 200 pages. Each painting is accompanied by a comprehensive discussion covering a number of aspects, and often Renoir's rendition of a scene is accompanied by the same or a similar view produced by another artist, and particularly Monet, who often accompanied Renoir and painted the same scene along side him. These comparisons are very enlightening. Beautifully illustrated throughout almost entirely in colour (the few exceptions being monochrome period photographs and one or two of the comparative examples by other artists), the 73 plates while being "full page" in as much as they each sit alone on the page, very few of the amount to more than half page in size due to their proportions; maybe there is an argument here that the book would have better served its purpose if it had itself been landscape in format. In addition to the featured works there are around 90 further colour illustrations including a few full page bleed images of a detail from a painting, the rest varying in size from 2" x 2.5" up to a half page; the total number of colour images being over 160. It is a lavishly produced volume, the test is informative, but above all the paintings are truly beautiful, one cannot help feeling a little regret that Renoir did not produce even more landscapes. 11.4" x 10" (29 cm x 25.5 cm) Published 2007 ISBN 9781857093179 Paperback, 9781857093223 Hardback
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Nov 19 2007
If you like impressionist landscapes or Renoir, don't miss this book. Most people think of Monet as the ultimate French landscape painter, but long before Monet picked up a brush there was a superb tradition of French landscape painting, especially among the Barbizon school and in earlier treatments of classical themes. As you can see from that observation, Monet's brush tended to hide or erase a lot of other fine landscape art from the general memory. Perhaps no contemporary was as effectively overshadowed in the same landscape realm as was Pierre-Auguste Renoir's work from 1865-1883 when he, too, was an impressionist who produced many fine landscapes. In this catalog from the current show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, you'll see that Renoir did an astonishing variety of landscape paintings, each of which displays a different style. I am reminded of the early work of Picasso where he was able to adapt many different styles as easily as most people put on a new set of clothes. My estimation for Renoir as an innovator greatly rose from seeing this work. To put this innovation in context, this catalog displays many parallel works by other landscape artists. In addition, the catalog descriptions are pretty lengthy and build nicely on the introductory essays that explain how Renoir's classical training and inclination to stay in the studio rather than paint outdoors put him at a psychological and practical disadvantage in developing his landscape art. Landscape painting for Renoir was often a fun exercise rather than the source of planned works. But his landscapes were often quite popular, as when one landscape was accepted at the Salon while two figurative works were rejected. Abashed, Renoir withdrew the landscape rather than have his public image depend on this kind of work. You'll also learn about the challenges of finding a market for Renoir's landscapes which I thought was fascinating. It's hard to imagine such a great artist struggling to sell his innovative work, isn't it? Most agree that Renoir was one of the greatest figure painters. His landscapes often contain small figures. Many of his best works combine larger figures and the outdoors. Having seen this book, I was left wishing that he had done more to combine these two particular sides of his talent. Don't expect to see a lot of masterpieces in the book although there are some. Think of viewing this book as being more like seeing the studies for major works in many cases rather than major works themselves. I came away with a greater appreciation for how hard it is to make gorgeous impressionist landscapes. Let this book remind you to take a walk in some lovely outdoor place whenever you get a chance.
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Posted: Oct 17 2007
Renoir's landscapes are as lavish as his beautiful women in his portraits. This book is truly enjoyable.
